Formula One (video game series)

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File:F105ps2.jpg
Formula One 2005

Formula One is a series of computer and video games originally created by Psygnosis and more recently Studio Liverpool. It takes its name from the popular car racing series of the same name. Since 2001, the Formula One series has been made by Studio Liverpool (an internal Sony Computer Entertainment Europe game studio) with the FOA Official License. Sony has had an exclusive license to make Formula One games since 2003, releasing a new title every year which includes improvements to the graphics engine as well as an updated and complete F1 grid showing the latest liveries, chassis and drivers.

Games in the series

Formula One
File:FormulaOnePS1CoverArt.JPG
Developer(s)Bizarre Creations
Publisher(s)Psygnosis
Platform(s)PlayStation, PC
ReleasePlayStation:
North America September 30, 1996
Japan December 13, 1996
PAL September, 1996
Windows (PC):
PAL 1996
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single Player

Formula One

Formula One is a racing game for Sony's PlayStation console about Formula One racing cars. It is the first game in Sony's Formula One series. Unlike later seasons, this game's cover has no specific driver.

Published by Psygnosis, Formula 1 is based on the 1995 Formula One season, although it was released in 1996. It is distinct from its sequels because it was made after the end of the Formula One season. This meant that it featured driver substitutes. This game contained different weather conditions and saw the introduction of in game commentary, the English version of the game contained the voice of Murray Walker. However, this is quite a simple game. Purists used to modern Formula One games would, for instance, find the lack of flags and penalties unrealistic. Players can only set up the car with basic 'low', 'medium' and 'high' settings. However, it is seen as a solid game, perfect for those who just want to play a fun racing game.

Formula 1 appears to be closely related to Psygnosis' other racing hit, wipEout. In terms of both playability and graphics, as well as being released on the PlayStation, this game came out for Windows.

Formula One 1997
Developer(s)Bizarre Creations
Publisher(s)Psygnosis
Platform(s)PlayStation, Windows
ReleasePlayStation:
North America September 30, 1997
Japan January 15, 1998
PAL September 26, 1997
Windows (PC):
PAL 1998
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single Player

Formula One 1997

Formula One 1997 (known as Formula 1 Championship Edition in the United States) was more of an evolution of the original Formula One than a brand new game. However, it had several new features, including a cockpit camera view (complete with dirt and flies hitting the visor, with the player having to remove the driver's tear-off strips) and the introduction of a co-commentator (in the British version, this was Martin Brundle). Setting up the car became more intricate.

Formula One 1997 contained an "arcade" mode which felt like a completely separate game. Handling was totally different, with the emphasis placed on powersliding. In the simulation mode, it also saw the introduction of more realistic elements such as flags and car failures.

It is seen as having achieved the best possible balance between realism and fun. Some still say that it is the best Formula One game. However, this was the last Formula One game to be made by the Bizarre Creations team, who moved on to create the highly successful Metropolis Street Racer and Project Gotham Racing.

Not only this, but the game was also hit by legal wranglings, with the FIA (Formula One's governing body) objecting to the use of the FIA logo on the game's packaging. The game was withdrawn from the shops six weeks after its release. It was re-released without the offending logo, but the FIA were still unhappy. However, the FIA lost this court case, and the game continued to be sold without the logo. Another problem faced was the use of the name and image of then Williams F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve, after he had copyrighted both. The game listed him as "Williams Numberone", and had simply a silhouette as the driver's image.

This game was released for the PlayStation and Windows.

Formula One 1998
Developer(s)Visual Science
Publisher(s)Psygnosis
Platform(s)PlayStation
ReleaseNorth America November 30, 1998
PAL October 30, 1998
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Formula One 1998

Jarno Trulli appears on the front cover, however some other versions have the 1998 World Champion, Mika Häkkinen, on the front cover.

Following the departure of Bizarre Creations, Psygnosis offered Reflections Interactive the chance to develop Formula One 1998. However, they pulled out to make Driver. Hurriedly, Visual Science were hired to make the game.

As a result of all of this, Formula 1 '98 turned out to be a poor game. Some have said that this game is the worst of the series, considering the standard that F1 97 had. Although there were some good innovations - such as an animated pit crew and, for the first time on a PlayStation Formula One game, a two-player split-screen mode and an Arcade Challenge mode—these were poorly executed. The game was clearly rushed. Many pointed the finger directly at Visual Sciences, but they were later able to show that they were capable of making good Formula One games, as they went on to make EA Sports' version with considerably more success.

This was also the first game in the series to feature penalties for speeding in the pitlane - although bad programming meant that the player was often disqualified for not serving their penalty before they'd even made it back to the pits.

A further short-coming which was of massive disappointment to the more seasoned F1 gamers was the link-up 2 player option that contained errors preventing both players to partake in the same race.

Formula One 99
Developer(s)Studio 33
Publisher(s)Psygnosis
Take-Two Interactive
Platform(s)PlayStation, PC
ReleasePlayStation:
North America October 31, 1999
Japan October 21, 1999
PAL October 1 1999
Windows (PC):
PAL 1999
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Formula One 1999

Formula One 1999 is a video game created by Psygnosis.

The drivers on the front cover, from left to right are: Jean Alesi, Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen.

After the failure of Formula One 1998[citation needed], Psygnosis brought in a new development team. Studio 33 had previous developed Newmann Haas racing using the original F1 Game engine from Bizarre Creations. Formula One 99 showed that Studio 33 was already experienced in creating a sim based racing game.[citation needed]

This was the first game to contain the Safety Car. Other innovations included the pit lane speed limiter and a clutch. This game was a considerable and welcome improvement upon Formula 1 98. It may have lacked an "arcade" mode or that extra polish, but Studio 33 clearly concentrated on the most important aspects of the simulation mode, leaving the addition of an arcade mode for Formula One 2000. Unfortunately the AI was suspect, and often cheated the player when pulling out a substantial gap, the AI would then do impossible lap times to catch up and pass. This was also inherent in the Newmann Haas Game which Studio 33 also developed. Another AI tactic was to simply pass through solid walls when trying to overtake the player. This was especially noticeable in Monaco.

During the making of this game, Psygnosis was taken over by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

Formula One 2000
Developer(s)Studio 33
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment (PS1)
Take-Two Interactive (GBC)
Platform(s)PlayStation, Game Boy Color[1]
ReleasePlayStation:
PAL October 6 2000
Game Boy Color:
December 18, 2000
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Formula One 2000

Formula One 2000 is a racing game in the Formula One series of computer and video games. It is also the only game of the series, known to be made on a non-Sony console (Game Boy Color) [1]. Drivers appearing on the front cover are Mika Häkkinen (McLaren) and Jarno Trulli (Jordan).

Formula One 2000 contained the new "arcade" mode, which had been missing from its predecessor, Formula One 1999. This arcade mode seemed more similar in style to WipEout—tracks were grouped into "location zones" with futuristic-sounding names and cars were grouped into series. The player began on the easier courses with the worst cars, before unlocking the more difficult courses and the better cars. Bonus images could be unlocked as an incentive to win races.

File:F1 2000 GBC.jpg
Game Boy Color cover

The simulation mode, however, had begun to stagnate. Despite the introduction of pit-stop strategies and an improved cockpit view, these were quite superficial changes in the grand scheme of things. Critics and gamers alike were beginning to tire of Formula One games, especially considering that this version was not the only game on the market. By this time, people complained about the fact that every game had the same cars and tracks, and the differences between years were minimal. However, people continued to buy Formula One games to a great extent, if not quite to the same extent as the mid-1990s.

It was clear by this time that in order to keep to Formula One series interesting, developers had to create more interesting arcade modes and unlockables.

Formula One 2001
File:Formula 1 01-front.jpg
Developer(s)Studio 33
Sony Studio Liverpool
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s)PlayStation, PlayStation 2 Windows Pc
ReleasePlayStation:
PAL May 25 2001
PlayStation 2:
North America 2001
PAL May 25 2001
Japan October 11 2001
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Formula One 2001

Formula One 2001 is a racing game in the Formula One series of computer and video games. It was released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2.

Formula One 2001 was the last simulation Formula One game to appear on the PSone (as the PlayStation had become known by that point, to differentiate it from the PlayStation 2). It was also the last game in the series released in the United States/Canada region before the 2005 release of F1 Grand Prix.

The game's "arcade" mode followed a similar line to that of Formula One 2000, although incentives were now offered in the form of upgrades to the player's car.

A new mode—"Challenge" mode—was introduced. In Challenge mode, players were given a lap around Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Jenson Button's Benetton. Players who achieved a fast lap time were given a verification code, and were given the opportunity to post their winning times on the internet to compare their times to other people's.

First issues of the PS2 game came with a DVD of the 2000 season that was not commercially released which featured multi angles and footage from the now defunct F1 Digital, a pay-per-view service which allowed the purchaser access to multiple camera shots, sessions and a choice to follow cars as the sessions progressed.

The Windows version was EA last F1 game and the game came with limited edition of F1 manager which wasn't very good and froze at Italy

The PSone version was once again developed by Studio 33, while the PlayStation 2 version was developed by Sony Studio Liverpool.

Formula One Arcade
Developer(s)Studio 33
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s)PSOne
ReleasePAL July 19 2002
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Formula One Arcade

Formula One 2001 wasn't quite Formula One's PSone swansong though. With the PSone having been relaunched as a console aimed more directly towards young children and budget video games, Formula One Arcade was released in mid-2002 at a cut price.

Drivers on the front cover, from left to right, are Eddie Irvine, Michael Schumacher and Jarno Trulli.

Based on the 2001 season, the game was centred around hectic racing action and was unashamedly unrealistic. Players competed in a quick race of just a few laps and had to collect pickups such as a speed boost (which made the car faster), large tires (which gave the car more grip) and shields (which made the car invulnerable).

This was Studio 33's last foray with the Sony F1 license.

Formula One 2002
File:Formula 1 2002-front.jpg
Developer(s)Sony Studio Liverpool
Publisher(s)SCEE
Platform(s)PlayStation 2,Nintendo GameCube
ReleasePAL November 1, 2002
Japan February 20 2003
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Formula One 2002

Formula One 2002 is the second Studio Liverpool (SCEE) game, released in late 2002.

This game made the in game debut of James Allen who had taken over the commentary duties from Murray Walker on the ITV Broadcasts. Murray Walker was also featured, doing commentary in arcade mode. This was Walker's last Formula 1 game appearance.

As with the 2001 game, first issues of this game came with a DVD of the previous year's season, in this case the 2001 season. Like the previous version, it contained footage from F1 Digital.

Formula One 2003
File:Formula 1 2003-front.jpg
Developer(s)Sony Studio Liverpool
Publisher(s)SCEE
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
ReleasePAL July 11 2003
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Formula One 2003

Formula One 2003 is the first game in the Formula One video game series with the exclusive FOA license. It was released only in Europe.

Teams

Circuits

Formula One 2004
Developer(s)Sony Studio Liverpool
Publisher(s)SCEE
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
ReleaseJapan September 22 2004
PAL July 30 2004
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Formula One 2004

Formula One 2004 was the first Sony Formula One game to contain a 'Career mode', which allowed players to work their way through the Formula One teams over the course of five years (albeit a repeat version of the 2004 season each time). Players would start out testing in a generic Formula One car, and if they did well enough in the test they would be offered a contract by a small team such as Minardi, Toyota or Jordan-Ford. Players would then work their way up the grid throughout their 'career' through a mixture of good tests and impressive race performances. This game also had Net Play available.

This is the only F1 Game in the series to be changed in terms of gameplay after the original release. In the original version, there was a bug which when during the time of AI Pitstops all the field crawled to Pit lane sped then speed up once a few of the AI cars had made their stop, it was common place to be following a car who suddenly came to a crawl and you would end up hitting their rear and ending your race. Studio Liverpool responded to the fans calls about this issue and fixed this issue on the release of the Platinum version.

Formula One 2004 was released in Europe (PAL) and Japan (NTSC).

Formula One 2005
European cover
Developer(s)Sony Studio Liverpool
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
ReleaseJapan September 22, 2005
PAL July 1, 2005
Australia 2005
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Formula One 2005

Formula One 2005 for the PlayStation 2 was released in Europe on July 1, 2005, and in Australia later that year. Carrying on with the 'Career Mode' concept from Formula One 04, which allows players to work their way through the Formula One teams over the course of five years (albeit a repeat version of the 2005 season each time). This game also supports EyeToy: Cameo, allowing players to place their own face on a driver when creating their profile, but unlike F1 04, you cannot choose your own helmet.

Players start out testing for a smaller team such as Minardi, Jordan or Red Bull Racing (Like in F1 04, a generic car does exist, but it is only used in Time Attack mode). Players then work their way up the grid throughout their 'career' through a mixture of good tests and impressive race performances. As before, consistently poor performances will lead to dismissal from the player's current team. There are now also occasional 'shoot-out' tests against the team's second driver (or third driver, depending on the player's current status within the team), in which both drivers complete a set of five laps each and whoever has the fastest overall time (one time based on the fastest first, second and third sectors added together) then takes the race seat. Players can now also view trophies they have received from winning races and championships after each is won in Career Mode for the first time.

As with Formula One 2004, "classic" cars are unlocked once certain terms are fulfilled, such as winning a World Championship. Helmets for Career Mode are also unlocked, and there is also a hidden track (the Detroit street circuit which was used for United States Grand Prix East) available for Time Attack Mode. Notably, since this game was developed before the change in the qualifying regulations midway through the actual 2005 season, this game runs the original "aggregated times" format in every race in Race, Championship and Career Mode. This game also has Net Play available. Formula One 05 is not compatible with North American NTSC PlayStation 2 consoles.

For the first time in a number of years the fans agreed that this was a massive improvement in the series and the shot in the arm it had so desperately needed.

A lot of people where criticizing Studio Liverpool for the lack of ambition and progress since the series appeared on the PS2 platform up to this point.

With the 2005 release people saw that great strides had been made by studio Liverpool in terms of gameplay handling and AI.

There where criticisms in terms of the AI being too easy on the hardest of settings, and about the penalty system that had been introduced in the 05 edition which cut the revs during a penalty instead of the traditional "Drive Through" Penalty previous games had seen, Over all though the fanbase agreed that apart from these small issues, Studio Liverpool had redeveloped the brand as a stepping stone for improvement for the inevitable 2006 edition.

F1 Grand Prix
Developer(s)Traveller's Tales
Publisher(s)SCEE
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable
ReleaseEurope September 1, 2005
Japan 2005
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Singleplayer, Multiplayer (WiFi)

F1 Grand Prix

F1 Grand Prix is the first of Sony's Formula 1 games to be released onto PlayStation Portable. It includes the whole of the 2005 FIA Formula 1 Season.

Game modes

  • Quick Race is where the player can set up a random race with random settings from the Game.
  • Events is where the player can choose from Time Attack, Single Grand Prix (Which has to be unlocked) or Scenario Mode (a list of scenarios vital for unlocking extras).
  • World Championship allows the player to play the full 2005 FIA Formula 1 World Championship
  • Multiplayer is WiFi gaming with 2 to 8 players.
  • TV Mode Race allows the player to watch a single race as if it was on the television.

Teams

Teams Included in the game are:

  • Scuderia Ferrari
  • BMW Williams F1 Team
  • McLaren Mercedes
  • Renault F1 Team
  • BAR Honda
  • Sauber Petronas
  • Red Bull Racing
  • Panasonic Toyota Racing
  • Jordan Grand Prix
  • Minardi F1 Team

Drivers

Drivers Included in the game are:

Pedro de la Rosa, Anthony Davidson, Alex Wurz, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Antonio Pizzonia and Robert Doornbos, although all driving in FIA Formula 1 Races during the 2005 season, were not included in the game

Circuits

The Circuits included in the game are:

  • Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit (Australia)
  • Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia)
  • Bahrain International Racing Circuit (Bahrain)
  • Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (San Marino)
  • Circuit de Catalunya (Spain)
  • Circuit de Monaco (Monaco)
  • Nurburgring (Germany*)
  • Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Canada)
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway (USA)
  • Circuit de Nevers-Magny Cours (France)
  • Silverstone Circuits Ltd. (UK)
  • Hockenheimring (Germany)
  • Hungaroring (Hungary)
  • Istanbul Park (Turkey)
  • Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (Italy)
  • Circuit National de Francorchamps (Belgium)
  • Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Brazil)
  • Suzuka International Racing Course (Japan)
  • Shanghai International Circuit (China)
  • The Nurburgring hosted the 2005 European Grand Prix

Unlockables

  • There are 19 Unlockable tracks, which are Mirrors of the Original Tracks
  • There are 5 Unlockable Classic Cars

Downloads packs

  • The first official download pack for F1 Grand Prix entitled "Stats Pack And Bonus Car" includes the full grid line ups from the first 16 Grand Prix of 2005, excluding Brazil, Japan and China. It also allows the player to unlock the Lotus 25 Classic Car.
  • The three missing grids have now been created (unofficially) and are available for download from The PSP Vault
Formula One 2006
Developer(s)SCE Studio Liverpool
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable,
ReleasePlayStation 2:
Europe July 28, 2006
Japan December 28, 2006
PlayStation Portable:
Europe July 28, 2006
Japan December 28, 2006
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single Player
Multiplayer

Formula One 2006

Formula One 2006 is a racing simulator developed by Studio Liverpool. It is the fifteenth game of the Official Formula One games series. The game was released in Europe on July 28, 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. Continuing with the Career Mode concept of previous editions, the regular format of being a driver. The game continues the tradition of a career mode, an option in place since the 2004 game.

In Career mode, the player begins their career with either Super Aguri, Toro Rosso or Midland F1. Their position within the team, either a test driver; second driver or first driver, depends on how well the player performs during the trial sessions, which are either held at the Circuit de Catalunya; Silverstone or Magny-Cours and also can be played out in either dry or wet conditions.

The player's career lasts a total of five Grand Prix seasons to try and become World Champion, this will most likely happen with the most competitive teams, eg. Renault, Ferrari or McLaren.

In addition, certain prizes can be unlocked once a certain criterion has been fulfilled, e.g. winning the world championship. A trophy cabinet section is also featured so players can view the trophies they have won in different Grand Prix onside of that there is an F1 car displayed in the trophy room this is the car you won the championship with. Only 1st place trophies are stored in the cabinent. There are no 2nd and 3rd place trophies.

The game also features the new knockout qualifying system, introduced at the start of the season. Other new additions include the formation lap, the Jerez test track in Spain and a much more competitive A.I from previous games which has given the game countless great player reviews it scored an average of 9.2 on gamespot.

Netplay was eventually removed from the final release of the game, which disappointed online racing fans. It was promised that for the first time the ability to race cross-platform would be possible, allowing PSP players to take on PS2 players. Studio Liverpool cited time restraints as a reason for this.

Teams

Circuits

  • Jerez can be unlocked in Time Trial mode by setting gold lap times on all 18 World Championship circuits.
Formula One Championship Edition
Developer(s)SCE Studio Liverpool
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s)PlayStation 3
ReleaseJapan December 28, 2006
United States of America February 27, 2007
Europe March 23, 2007
Australia March 23, 2007
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single player
-Time Attack
-Single Race
-Single Week-End
-Championship
-Career
Online Multiplayer up to 11 players

Formula One Championship Edition

Formula One Championship Edition is a racing video game, developed by SCE Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, for the Sony PlayStation 3

Gameplay

Formula One Championship Edition follow the 2006 Formula One season, with 18 tracks, 11 teams and 22 drivers. The teams are:

The circuits are:

The game follows the same basic structure as F1 06 on the Playstation 2. The main differences include the updated visuals for the PS3 including a lot more detail, real time reflections, car reflections on the wet circuit and new wet weather effects. Another big thing is the High Definition compatibility. It was also said early on in development that the safety car would be in the game for the first time in an F1 game since F1 99 on the PS1, this feature has since been removed, also removed from the final retail version was the PSP wing mirror integration feature shown at E3.

The game makes full use of the six axis controller and new L2 and R2 trigger buttons.

The gameplay can be adjusted to suit anyone, there are a number of driving aids including steering, braking, stability and so on. For players who like it tough, the difficulty can be cranked up to hard, with minimal aids, a realistic damage engine and the ability to crank up the race length to full distance. The game also boasts dynamic weather, and great AI.

The AI system is called "Live Action Racing" where you can pressurize the opposition causing them to make little mistakes such as running wide on corners, to causing them to crash into other cars or spin off the road of their own accord. The AI will seek opportunities to pass the player in a realistic manner, all adding to the fun and challenge of the game.

The game is based on the early season, so it has Yuji Ide driving the SA05, Midland F1 rather than Spyker F1 and many other little things that changed throughout the real F1 2006 season.

Players start off running tests for one of three teams (Scuderia Toro Rosso, Super Aguri and Midland F1). Should players scrape the test you will be given role of test driver, should players breeze through with ease the role of 2nd driver will loom*. From there the player can compete in race weekends through many different roles. As a test driver the player will try out different car settings in practice, and as a driver the player will have track position targets to meet to keep your seat. The player's performances go under review several times during the season. The team tests at the start of career mode vary quite a lot. The Super Aguri test for example is the hardest of the 3, while the Scuderia Toro Rosso test is the easiest. Location and weather also varies, making it a new challenge every time.

Release

It is the first Formula One game released in America since 2003, when EA Sports released F1 Challenge '99-'02 for the PC, and F1 Career Challenge for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Gamecube.

E3

The first trailer of Formula One Championship Edition was displayed at E3 2005, during the Sony conference. The trailer shows the pilots of the 2005 season, racing on the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.Sony and SCE Studio Liverpool have released a second movie, where the 2006 pilots are racing on the Autodromo Nazionale Monza while demonstrating many new features, such as one where the player can use the PSP as a wing mirror. This feature has since been removed.

Reception

Reviews
Compilation of reviews

Demo

A demo of the game is available since November 2006 on the PlayStation Network. In this demo, players are driving on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or Autodromo Nazionale Monza tracks.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Formula_One_(video_game_series)&oldid=131431458"